Solid Foods: Should Fruits or Vegetables Be First?

When it's time for your baby to start eating solid food, the question always arises: Should I start with fruit or veggies? Some moms are afraid that if they give their baby fruit first, he'll develop a sweet tooth and won't ever like vegetables. But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that's simply not true.

The AAP says, "For most babies it doesn't matter what the first solid foods are. By tradition, single-grain cereals are usually introduced first. However, there's no medical evidence that introducing solid foods in any particular order has an advantage for your baby.

Though many pediatricians will recommend starting vegetables before fruits, there's no evidence that your baby will develop a dislike for vegetables if fruit is given first. Babies are born with a preference for sweets, and the order of introducing foods does not change this."

Forty-two percent of respondents said they started with fruit and their kid still likes vegetables; and forty-two percent said they started with vegetables and their kid still likes vegetables.

So no matter what you start with, it's pretty safe to say that your child will probably still eat his veggies. That is, until he becomes a toddler and starts throwing them on the floor (but that's a conversation for another day).

Have you started your baby on solid foods yet? What was the first food you gave him or her?